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The Vancouver Griffins were a professional women's ice hockey team in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). The team played its home games in Queen's Park Arena, in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.

History

The team was established in January 2000 by local businessman Phillip DeGrandpre. The Griffins were voted in by the NWHL in May 2000. The Griffins would become the first expansion team for the NWHL outside their traditional Ontario and Quebec base.

In 2000-01, the Vancouver Griffins played 18 exhibition games against Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU) teams, British Columbia and Alberta provincial women's teams, and NWHL teams. The first head coach of the Griffins was Sylvain Leone. The club’s first roster was selected at a training camp in August 2000 in Abbotsford, British Columbia. In the 2000-01 season, the only players that were not from British Columbia were goalie Krista Cloutier of Pickardville, Alberta, and forward Julia Berg, a member of the Norway women's national ice hockey team.

For the Griffins' 2001–02 season, the team was owned by British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame inductee Diane Nelson. The head coach was Nancy Wilson. Olympians Nancy Drolet of Canada women's national ice hockey team, Cammi Granato) and Shelley Looney of the United States women's national ice hockey team joined Vancouver Griffins. The Griffins' roster also included Burnaby's own 18-year-old Natashia Pellatt, a graduate of Moscrop Secondary School. Other younger players included 15-year-old Courtney Unrah. The team played 31 exhibition games against local, CIAU, British Columbia and Alberta provincial women's teams, and NWHL teams. One of the highlights of the 2001-02 season was a victory over Hayley Wickenheiser and her Edmonton Chimos club by a 7-1 score. Nancy Drolet had a hat trick and Cammi Granato scored the other four goals against Edmonton.

The Griffins joined the Calgary Oval X-Treme and Edmonton Chimos as a fully scheduled three team division in the NWHL for the 2002-03 season. The Griffins disbanded at the end of that season.

Season-by-season

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points.

Season standings

Inaugural Roster (2000-01)

Goalies

	Player	Hometown
	Krista Cloutier	Pickardville, Alberta
	Chantal Cotton	Vancouver, British Columbia
	Jennifer Price	Victoria, British Columbia

Defense

	Player	Hometown
	Kobi Kawamoto	Surrey, British Columbia
	Erin Leslie	Vancouver, British Columbia
	Patti Maskall	Richmond, British Columbia
	Tamara Pickford	Chilliwack, British Columbia
	Kira Sinow	Vancouver, British Columbia
	Renae Stevenson	Abbotsford, British Columbia

Forwards

	Player	Hometown
	Debbie Beaudoin	Surrey, British Columbia
	Michelle McLeary	North Vancouver, British Columbia
	Julia Berg	Randaberg, Norway
	Natalie Christensen	Abbotsford, British Columbia
	Alana Gray	Coquitlam, British Columbia
	Danielle Grundy	Kelowna, British Columbia
	Caroline Hall	Victoria, British Columbia
	Glenda Olson	Abbotsford, British Columbia
	Sherri Pitre	North Vancouver, British Columbia
	Sherri Schmidt	Lillooet, British Columbia
	Sonya Sneyd	Whistler, British Columbia
	Kelli Stephens
	Elaine Topolnisky	Logan Lake, British Columbia
	Samantha Wong	Vancouver, British Columbia

References

2. Vancouver Griffins 2000 Preview, SLAM! Sports, http://www.canoe.ca/HockeyNWHL/pre_van.html
3. Julia Berg stars with Vancouver Griffins, http://hockeyadventure.com/2007/08/12/julia-berg-stars-with-vancouver-griffins/
4. Wilson was a certified level IV master coach and former assistant with the national women's under-22 squad.
5. Cammi Granato signed in May 2002. Source:http://www.realwomeninsports.com/granato.php
6. Dan Hilborn (November 21, 2002). "Olympic stars play for the NWHL Griffins". Burnaby Now. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
7. ^ Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009-10, p.548, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6

External links

• NWHL website
• Vancouver Griffins in 2003 Esso Women's National
• Vancouver Griffins Logo
• Hockey British Columbia

• National Women's Hockey League (1999–2007) teams
• Defunct women's ice hockey teams in Canada
• Ice hockey teams in Vancouver
• Ice hockey clubs established in 2000
• 2000 establishments in British Columbia
• 2003 disestablishments in British Columbia
• Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2003
• Women's sports in Vancouver